Fire & Ice
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Don't let them in. Don't let them see. Be the good girl you always have to be. Conceal. Don't feel. Don't let them know. Elsa always felt she had to do these things; keep up appearances for the sake of her sister, then her parents, then her kingdom. But what if she didn't have to be that perfect girl? What if she were able to let go? NarutoxElsa. First ever NarutoxFrozen crossover!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Alright ladies and gentlmen, good news and bad news. Good news first. I'm fresh out of my first surgery-hurts like hell!-and I managed to put this up here at points between the forced anesthetic. Bad news is I still have more surgeries ahead. Still, I'm feeling a bit better now. Really. ****I'm hanging tough though, having just come out of my first surgery...with two more to go! UUUUUGH! I'm on painkillers almost daily and I feel like crap, as to that effect. **

**But nevertheless, despite this pesky little hiccup-my family deemed me well enough to take me to the movies as a treat. And I was, well, at least until towards the end. What might that movie be, you wonder? Why, it was Frozen, of course! At first, I was hesitant to watch it, but the movie completely warmed my heart! It also got me to thinking...but I won't spoil anything!**

**Needless to say, I realized someting was lacking in the pairing department. So here it is. ****Thank you all for you support, and here's hoping I make it through the rest of my surgeries! *Raises glass in a toast* Long live Fanfiction! And in case my health goes south...HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YA'LL!**

**Well...here ya go! =D The first ever Naruto and Frozen crossover!**

_"Beautiful. Powerful. Dangerous. Cold. Ice is a magic that can't be controlled.."_

_~?_

**Prologue**

It could be said that the kingdom of Arendelle was known for many a thing fair and foul. She was blessed with beautiful summers and cursed with harsh winters. Blessed with a fair ruler, yet, troubled by superstitious subjects, easily roused to anger and action. It was even said that magick ran in the royal bloodline, foul sorcery some might say. Those rumors cut close to the truth, closer than the king himself would have liked. But until recently, he'd paid no mind to such whisperings, ignored warnings no mind. Yes, his eldest daughter, Elsa, was blessed-cursed?-with winter magick in her blood, but it had always been so minor that he'd thought it a trifling matter, nothing to be concerned about.

Until now.

Now, his beloved kingdom had become known for its isolation. One year before, the palace herself had been open to all; any could come see the king. But no longer. Unbenkownsts as to the how, or why the palace had been locked, the doors closed for the last year.

It is here that our story begins...

* * *

"Elsa...?"

Elsa opened her eyes to the sound of her name being called, spoken as though from a great distance. The same room she had known for the last year of her entire life danced across her vision, a starrk landscape of frozen flurries that made her sigh heavily as she started to wake from her slumber. It was cold, as per the usual, and snowflakes floated across her room. "Not again.." She half-whispered to herself, as she sat up to explore the damage she had caused her poor room.

Slowly, her icy gaze traced the four conrers, surrounded by lavender wallpaper that decorated her bedroom walls. Over time the decorative paper had wrinkled from the ice she unintentionally conjured. It didn't take much effort. The barest brush of her hand hand across the wall was enough for the wallpaper to instantly freeze in a layer of ice. And that was without trying. Were she actually to apply some effort to her magic, she could easily obliterate the walls, door, windows, even the floor itself beneath a thick sheet of ice.

This room had been her everything ever since the calamiry of last winter, ever since her little sister Anna was gravely injured by her magic. She was alive and well now, but what did it matter? Elsa daren't come near her sibling, it not for fear of harming her, then for sheer guilt of what she'd done. She would never allow herself to forget. Anna, might not remember that day, but Elsa would. Always. Choking back a guilty tear, she allowed her eyes to roam her room once more.

As always, everything was covered_-or perhaps smothered?-_within ice and snow. Still, she'd almost hoped it wouldn't be this time. Elsa found those thoughts dashed as took stock of the frozen tundra lining the walls, stretching its cold fingers across the floors and ceiling, quietly mocking her for daring to dream otherwise. The eldest daughter of the Arendelle family sighed and closed her eyes once more, quietly hoping she could fall back into a deep sleep as she had been before the abrupt awakening of her she'd do more than drift off this time, maybe...

It was not to be.

The door swung open with a sharp creak, golden daggers of candlelight stabbing at her lashes, forcing them to recoil and open at the sudden luminance. Groggily, Elsa sat up, to reveal not her sister as she'd suspected, but someone else all together.

"Father...?"

What was he doing here, in the middle of the night?

"Elsa, my darling," For the first time in three hundred and sixty-five days, her father's face was utterly devoid of the worry he'd been fraught with. "I'm sorry to wake you, but I'm afraid this can't wait. There's someone I'd like you to meet." Those eyes were bright with hope, and the ghost a smile seemed to dance at the corners of his mouth; that strong chin so stern and firm, his grim countenance now bright, if not genuinely joyous. How long had it been, since she'd last seen him smile like that? Not since Anna nearly died. That alone roused her from her own self-loathing. But it was what he said next that caused young Elsa to nigh but bolt upright in bed.

"You can come out now, lad. She won't hurt you." At first she didn't understand her papa's words at all, they simply made no sense. Meet someone? She saw no one. It was then as she pushed herself up off of the bed, scrubbing the sleep forth from her eyes with the back of a hand, settin her bare feet upon the frosty floor-the cold never bothered her much anyway-that she realized what her father spoke of. Not just what, but _whom, _her parent was speakin of perse.

_There._

A matted tangle of blond tresses could be seen in the candlelight, a slim body poking out from behind the king's back. They darted behind him the moment she tried to get a good look at him-she caught a flash of those bright, blue eyes in the dim lighting, but nothing more.

Elsa's father loosed a small, lighthearted chuckle.

"There's no need to be shy." He ushered him forward. "Come now, say hello."

Reluctantly, the newcomer did as he was bid.

...hello."

Elsa of Arendelle found herself gazing upon a boy a few years older than she, perhaps twelve...or thirteen years of age? Although he was dressed in the garb seen by most peasant children, one glance immediately told her that he did not hail from this land; those blue eyes, blond hair and whiskered cheeks immediately betrayed him as a foreigner. Their gazes met and he offered her a tentative smile-the expression so frail it might be made of glass. She gazed at him for a long moment, green eyes regarding him inquistively.

"H-Hello to you, too." she managed with the slightest stutter, her gaze swinging back to the king's almost immediately. "I don't understand. Who is this and why is he-

"That's just it dear," her father would not be deterred. "We found this lad on our shores last week and until now, we were nursing him back to health-

Elsa failed to see how any of this related to her. Her confusion must've shown, because her father ceased what he was saying and turned to the blond boy.

"Perhaps a demonstration would be best."

"Go on, son." the king urged, prodding him forward. "Show her. Show her what you can do."

_...okay."_ his voice was slightly muffled by the distance between them, but it soon shrank as he reluctantly stepped over the threshold and into her room. Was it just her, or were those sapphire irises scarlet on a sudden or was even that her own imagination? Elsa also shrank back for fear of accidentally harming him, but then she felt it. _Warmth._ It rushed across her in an unseen wave-bringing with it the sensation of heat and energies unseen by the naked eye.

But Elsa saw.

The ice in her room instantly recoiled at his prescence, as though his very being here was an unspoken offense to her element. And then, to her incredulity, the ice in her room_...it began to melt._ Her gaze flicked to that of her father's, but he was still smiling, as though he'd expected this all along. And still, the warmth rushed around her, past her, through her, manifesting now as tongues of fire on the edges of the boy's boots, flaming footprings that seemed to spread, targeting everything in the room with a ruthless precision. Not just the ice. Everything.

Something about that made Elsa nervous, and in that anxiety, she felt her ice began to resist this unseen assault. It coiled like a thing alive; spreading across the room, stronger, thicker, lashing outward, surging out of control, beyond any control-

Without pause or warning the boy was suddenly there, crossing the room in a clamor, his hands closing around hers in a firm girp, crushing their fingers altogether. Elsa wanted to balk, wanted to warn him that she couldn't control it, that he'd be _hurt_, but then she felt the warmth again, shooting down his arm and into hers, entering her body. Her power, so unstable, was suddenly suppressed, forced back down by this unseen surge. Bereft of her guidance the magicked ice began to melt again but far faster this time. Within a blink of the eye-the span of two beats-the frost lining the walls and celing dissolved to water, then evaporating to harmless steam before her very gaze. But now she could feel the cold of her element surging through her hand and into his-

The boy jerked back as if he'd been _burned_, clutching at his palm like it was a serpent in his grasp. Elsa would later realize that his eyes had faded back to their true blue the instant her ice had entered his veins. It was a surreal experience to have someone simply melt her ice, to take her raging magic and bring it under control so swiftly.

"I...what did you do?" Not exactly a response befitting a princcess, but it was all Elsa could manage.

At that, the boy's shyness briefly evaporated.

"This." he replied pointedly, holding up the same hand she'd been clutching a moment before. Once more Elsa felt the Warmth, but this time it was harnessed somewhat. Focused, if only barely.

"He was a gift of magic, like yourself." her father continued in the wake of his reply, "Not ice, but-

_"Fire."_ Elsa finished in a hushed whisper, awed as the embers burst into life in his palm.

She watched the embers dance in the boy's hands for a long moment, mesmerized, by those tongues of flames leaping across his fingertips. Oddly enough, she found herself slightly dissapointed when he managed to douse them with a supreme effort. It was clear that, like her, he had little to no control over this power of his. In that way they were almost_...alike._ Elsa froze, her back stiffening, as the realization doused her. He was like her. Cursed with a power he couldn't entirely control, but a power that offset her own, just as her did his. Fire and Ice. She'd felt it when he'd taken hold of her hand. They'd both felt it. And that frightened her, as much as it did excite her.

_'Someone like me..._

"I-I don't understand." Elsa shook her head, struggling to quell the rising elation in her heart. "Father, why is he _here?" _A shaft of moonlight slashed down through the window and across her face in that instant, casting her in an eerie, almost otherwordly glow. Perhaps that was what gave her father pause. At any length, he finally spoke.

"Well, if he's willing, I'd like him be your," the king's face took on a thoughtful expression, "Companion, of sorts, until you can learn to control your powers. Perhaps even a friend, given time." Elsa's heart gave a small lurch at that. This boy? Her friend? She had never given thought to having a friend. Much less a companion. _Conceal._ Someone she couldn't hurt with her ice. _Don't feel._ Someone who could reign her in if she ever lost control of herself. _Don't let them know. _Someone who knew the truth of what she was, besides her parents. Someone to trust. Her heart leapt again at the thought.

Someone like her.

"He's no older than I am." she protested, but the words were weak, without rancour. "Aren't we forcing him to-

"Hey, nobody's forcing me to do anything."

Both Elsa and her father turned to regard the boy; one in disbelief, the other in quiet bemusement. His apparent muteness had vanished, his quiet blue eyes regarding them quizzically.

"Your father saved my life." he said. "I'd like to return the favor. If this helps me to control my gift as well, then that's just a bonus."

"Then its settled." her father didn't give her time to protest, he was already shutting the door, pausing only to add. "I'll have a guard posted outside, should you need anything." He paused once more, his visage giving a true hint to the worry he must've felt at leaving his eldest daughter with an untested strangers. "I leave her in your hands, then." The door closed then, forestalling any other attempt at arguement on her part. Elsa had the notion to call out and bring him back, but the words stuck in her throat. Instead she stood there, listening as her father's footsteps fell further and further away.

Leaving her alone with this strange boy.

"Good night." Was all he said to her, picking a corner to curl up in.

"You mean you're actually going to sleep down there?" she balked as the whiskered blond simply sat down and curled up there, content to actually sleep without so much as a pillow, let alone a bed.

"I'm used to sleeping on the floor anyhow." the boy pointed out quietly. "Nothing I can't handle. The cold never bothers me much, anyway." Well, he was positively chatty now, wasn't he?! Everythin was moving far too swiftly for her young mind to handle; it was only natural that the fear still weigh so heavily on her mind.

"Don't you understand?" She pressed, that very same fear setting in again, "You can't possibly do this! I...I...can't-

The boy's hand snapped up and the ice died down around her hands, wilting as quickly as it'd threatened to come. Elsa flashed him a grateful glance, her anxiety dying down once more as the blond laid himself back to the floor, his

"What's your name?"

That earned her a soft sigh and the slightest smile.

"My name?"

"You do have one, don't you?"

The boy's smile collapsed into a frown and for a terrifying instant, Elsa feared he wouldn't say anything at all. That'd be a terrible start to their friendship, wouldn't it? Here she was trying to be nice, trying to resist their mutual distrust of the elements they wielded, and he wasn't even making the slightest effort anymore! Here she was; angry, and confused and afraid and he wasn't saying _anything_ at all...

"I'm Elsa." she tried again, extending her hand-and the olive branch, as it were-leaving it there for him to accept. "Sorry for shouting at you earlier." The boy creaked open an eye, regarding her hand as though it might somehow rear back and try to bite him. At last, the vaguest beginning's of a smile began to form on his face. When he finally reached out, and took her hand, Elsa was almost alarmed to find that same surge of warmth shooting up her arm and into her veins before he released her with his name.

When he spoke this time, he sounded terribly old, as though he'd lived a thousand lifetimes in his thirteen years.

_"Naruto."_

That name, _this person,_ would forever change Elsa's life in ways she couldn't even begin to imagine...

**A/N: And there you have it! I couldn't think of a better way to introduce Naruto into Frozen than to have him brought to Arendelle. Not as an allpowerful badass shinobi as often seen-done in most stories, but as a very vulnerable, very mortal child with many flaws and insecurities of his own. Just like Elsa. But How did Naruto get here? Why does he wield the element of Fire, and not Wind as in cannon? All those questions and more will be answered over the course of this story, provided my health holds. But in any case...**

**...The events of Frozen ought to be quite different with him involved...maybe Elsa'll have someone of her own by the time this is done *wink*wink* who knows?**

**So...in the immortal words of Atlas...**

**...Would You Kindly Review the story of this ailing man? And of course, enjoy the preview!**

**(Preview)**

_"So all these folks came just for your coronation, eh?"_

_Elsa froze, her pale cheeks flushing as a familiar voice whispered into her ear, accompanied by that all-too familiar rush of warmth when his hand brushed her cheek. God, when had he snuck up on her?! She turned to find him standing there, looking resplendent in his suit, a far cry from the boy she'd met on that cold lonely night, he'd grown into his own, a fine young man of seventeen years, grinning from ear to ear as he stood in full splendor befor her. And damn if he didn't look good in that suit..._

_Her arms were flung round his neck almost before she knew what was happening, pulling him into a tight embrace._

_"Naruto!"_

_"Watch those wandering eyes, M'lady." his grin grew another inch as they pulled away. "Might give your bodyguard the wrong idea, ya know?_

_Elsa flushed._

_He'd stood by her all these years, through the death of her parents, and more; it had been just as her father said; he'd been able to help her keep a lid on her power. He had been her bodyguard, companion, she even considered him to be more than that, more than a friend. But still, the question remained..._

_...would he ever feel as she felt for him?_

**R&R! =D**


	2. Ice is Nice

**A/N: Alright ladies and gentlmen, good news and bad news. Good news first. I'm fresh out of my first surgery-hurts like hell!-and I managed to put this up here at points between the forced anesthetic. Bad news is I still have more surgeries ahead. Still, I'm feeling a bit better now. Really. ****I'm hanging tough though, having just come out of my first surgery...with two more to go! UUUUUGH! I'm on painkillers almost daily and I feel like crap, as to that effect. But I'm hanging tough, despite having a small heart attack the other day. God, that was NOT fun!**

**Anywho...here it is. ****Thank you all for you support, and here's hoping I make it through the rest of my surgeries! *Raises glass in a toast* Long live Fanfiction! Hopefully I'll at least live long enuff to make it ta my birthday on the fourteenth! And just in case my health goes south...I hope you enjoy my works for all time!**

**Well then...here ya go! =D The first ever Naruto and Frozen crossover! I hope ya'll don't mind, but I decided to give the King and Queen of Arendelle actual names; its no good just calling them by their given titles or "Elsa's father" and "Elsa's mother" ya know? And with that, onward!**

_"Ice may be nice...but what about fire?"_

_~?_

**Ice is Nice**

Three months later, Elsa saw the headband-and was drawn up out of her shell-for the very first time.

She woke one morning to find Naruto staring at it, turning its scarred and pitted surface end over end in his hand, finger the tattered blue cloth that somehow held it together. Just...staring. He was sitting opposite her at the foot of the bed, lost in the intriHis gaze was intense-almost haunted it seemed-as though just staring at it evoked sorrow and sadness. For some reason she did not yet understand, Elsa didn't like it when Naruto seemed sad. Even less when he sulked, nowhere near as often as she, but still enough of an ocurrence to readily remind the princess that his feelings could also be hurt.

For instance, Naruto did _not _ like to be called whiskers. Not at all. Elsa had teased him once last week and he hadn't spoken to her for the entire day. She'd hated that. _Hated it._ Naruto was the one constant in her young life, an immutable pillar that weathered all her fears for those first few months, someone who accepted her, for all her flaws. They were both flawed in a way; Elsa, with her own fears of hurting those she held dear, and Naruto, with a quiet temper that-when provoked-threatened to send his powers spiraling out of control. Her powers cancelled him out, just as he did her.

They needed each other. Elsa had come to accept this early on. Indeed she'd learned early on that Naruto was just as vulnerable as her, that beneath fireiy temper was a lonely little boy. So it was with this thought that she pulled back the covers

"What's that?" she asked blearily, scrubbing the sleep from her eyes with a hand. When Naruto didn't answer she scooted closer to him until their shoulders brushed. She'd since found that even the lightest contact with the boy was more than enough to suppress her power, and that said effect lasted longer when she remained in his prescence.

Naruto raised his gaze, those eerie blue eyes regarding her curiously.

"Something important...I think."

Elsa blinked. "You think?"

Her companion nodded, his expression distant.

"I don't remember." He turned it over again in his hands. "I know that I should but I just...can't."

Elsa rocked back on her heels, considering.

"Then you don't know what that leaf means?"

"Well...

Naruto stared down at the headband and contemplated it, his finger idly tracing the leaf engraved into its surface. Truth be told, he wasn't even sure what it meant. What it signified. His memory was horribly foggy not just from washing up on the land of Arendelle, but from an older injury, gained a year before or that was what his jumbled mind seemed to be telling him. Whatever had done this to him clearly hadn't been plasant, he still had the scar on his forehead to prove it. In any case, wherever he hailed from-distant land or no-he sorely doubted he'd be going back there anytime soon.

Nor was he sure when he'd gained these pyrokinetic abilties, his most distant memory was of playing with the embers in his hand when he was but a babe. More than once he'd burned someone in the orphanage, but that was where his memories began to blur and fall apart. He supposed he ought to be grateful he even remembered his own name, let alone how to function. And then, there was this other mysterious possession he had on his personage, perhaps the only other clue as to who he was, perhaps even where he came from.

The necklace.

It was a simple little thing, a crystal bound by a leather cord. It shouldn't have instilled a sense of such awe in him. And yet he knew it was important. Somewhere, beneath all these lost memories, his mind just knew, knew it was important. But for what, and to whom remained a mystery. So too did so many other things. He was quite content with his newfound humility, the empathy he'd gained from the loss of his past had made a kind soul out of him in more ways than one, and yet...he felt as though something was missing. Perhaps...he had been just like this, unwilling to turn away a soul in need, before the accident. Perhaps not. There was so much he didn't know.

Himself, for example.

What had he been like before losing his memory, he wondered? Had he been brash and idiotic? A loudmouth who wanted to prove himself to everyone and anyone? One thing he did remember, was his love of the color orange. And blue. With a little bit of black. The king had said he'd been found wearing those orange-blue rags when he'd washed ashore last fall; now it was winter and he found his new garb to be much more pleasant, slightly lacking in the orange department with the blue overcoat and such, but more than making up for it with the black trousers, the cuffes of which were embroidered with just a the lightest touch of sunset orange. It reminded him of his gift. Or curse, when it acted up.

Fire was a frightful thing indeed. It was destruction, but it was also life. It gave of its warmth freely, and yet too much of that warmth could easily hurt. Harm. Destroy-

"May I see it?"

Naruto blinked, drawn from his reverie by Elsa's words. She was staring at him most strangely. Or more pointedly, his headband.

"See what?" his reply was short and succinct. He didn't like where this was going. Not one bit.

"Your headband."

"I'm not so sure you should-oi!"

Before he could even think to finish that sentence Elsa did three things. One, she snatched it out of his hand. Two, she reached back and parted her hair. Three, she took the headband and tied it around her forehead in a motion so swift it left his eyes and head spinning.

"Well?" she asked, offering up a small, tentative smile. "How do I look?"

"...not bad." Naruto was forced to admit. Damn, but the thing suited her. Even more when the lightest of flushes lit the teenager's cheeks.

"Really?"

Not a second after she'd spoken, a stray strand of pale hair escaped the headband's hold, wriggling free to tickle at her nose. Naruto knew what was going to happen next, even if she didn't. Elsa's face scrunched up as she tried to contain it, but fate had other plans. Nor would this catastrophe be be denied. She sniffed as the pressure built up in her head, traveled down her nose, took a deep breath-

"Aaaa...

"Elsa...

"Aaaaaa...

"Don't you dare!"

_"AAAAAAAACHOOOOO!"_

Her subsuquent sneeze blasted outward in a wave of cold air, smothering Naruto in a thick layer of ice. He sat there a long moment, covered in frost from head to toe, unable to move so much as a muscle. It might've been priceless were it not for Elsa's horrified expression. Poor thing, she thought she'd frozen her best friend! Elsa always had been too soft for her own good, she was a gentle girl who hated to hurt. If his eyes hadn't been frozen, behind the ice, Naruto would've rolled them. As it were, he merely heated a pocket of air around himself to blistering temperatures, slowly freeing him from his icy prison.

Elsa watched in awae as the frost began to thaw, wilting beneath those strange, red-gold flames. They were mysterious, intriguing even. They fascinated her, captivating her full attention. They were dangerous and she knew they powerful, capable of incinerating entire forests through sheer force of will. Well, maybe not entire _forests _but, she'd once seen him accidentally obliterate a score of trees, albeit unintentionally. Unfortunately, Naruto failed to account for what that much melted water might do to him and his clothes. In the end his grasp on the power deserted him, and he was left sopping wet from shoe to sternum.

"Oh."

"What?"

"N-Nothing!"

There was a silence. Then the blond looked down at his ruined clothes, first soaked by the melted ice then subsuquently scorched by the fire he'd created. Still nothing. Abruptly his mouth quirked into a frown. That was the only warning Elsa had before he started spouting gibberish-she was fairly certain he was cursing-in a language she neither knew nor recognized. Alas, his tone betrayed him, the venom with which he spoke syllables may have been directed at himself, but it still caused Elsa's ears to turn redder than the flames still wreathing his body. Finally, he dropped back into English, just long enough for her to catch a snippet of his rant:

"-does this always happen to me?!"

Elsa couldn't help herself anymore; at the sight of her sopping wet-and very much unharmed-friend she promptly burst out into uncontrolilable giggles. It felt good to laugh again, she thought to herself. It was...what'd her father once say? Freeing? Counting these last three months of Naruto's company, it had been nearly two years since she'd smiled-since she'd laughed like this. Two years! And she'd only just now started to open up to him; as near as she could remember this was her first ray of sunshine amidst the gloom in what felt like forever.

"Its not funny." Naruto glowered at her, his ire completely defused by his sopping state.

"Yes it is!" she snickered back.

His lips quirked, that should've been another warning. One she failed to heed.

"I suppose you're enjoying yourself, then?"

Elsa barely managed an affirmative nod beneath her giggling.

"Alrighty, then. My turn."

She barely had time to wonder what Naruto meant before he did something with his legs-heating the air around them?-and stepped forward. Forget the movement-just the motion was impossibly fast-he nearly reached her in a single bound, crossing the three feet between them in a blur of orange-red-and-_black_ his forearm fully extended, poised to snatch the headband from here head. Elsa reacted; freezing not his feet, but the floors beneath them, coating everything in a thin sheet of ice before he could try and reclaim the stolen article. In hindsight, it wasn't the wisest thing to do. Here, in the moment, the result was nothing short of hilarious.

Naruto's swift advance turned into an equally swift flop, leaving him sputtering in surprise as he slammed facefirst into the floor. The ice melted quickly at his touch-but the damage-and the prank-was already done. His blue eyes glittered up at her, not with reproach, but...uh-oh. He was smiling again.

"Okay." he said. "Is there any chance you'll just give me the headband back if I ask nicely?"

Elsa burst into giggles again and shook her head; this time, her grin was entirely genuine. "You'll have to do better than that!"

Naruto sighed as picked himself up off the floor. Something registered in his memory, just then; he had the distinct impression this wasn't the first time someone had stolen his headband and tried to make off with it. But when? And whom? Once more, he received only the most vague of impressions. He reached out to reclaim it back from her, but once more she proved far too swift for him; clamoring off the bed with a frightened-delighted yelp, her smile wide and bright for the first time in their short-lived friendship. He tried to grab her again, his fingertips _just_ brushing her pale blond hair as she danced away.

"Catch me if you can!"

"C'mere!"

The next five minutes were not very kind to Elsa's room. Whenever Naruto came close to catching her she would throw up a sheet of ice, either tripping him or allowing herself to slid harmlessly out of his path. Likewise he would use his heat to propel himself forward, destroying the carpet with his propulsion, ruinating wallpaper when he flung small, harmless _-for Elsa-_ fireballs at the ice walls she constantly erected to hem him in. This was crazy. Chaotic, in every sense of the term. In those five minutes Elsa dared to probe the limits of her powers, and was pleased to find that Naruto matched her

Finally, they were exhausted; their stamina spent, their powers all but drained.

"I...give up!" Elsa gasped out with a laugh, flopping back onto her battered bed, her hair slipping free from its bun, coming loose from the motion. She didn't care if it was damp-or if the water ruined her dress. She was simply too tired to care. She still had enough strength to risk a haphazard glance at their improvised playground. What she saw there made her cringe a bit, though not in an entirely guilty way. Her room was a mess of melted water and frozen ice; the wallpaper had been scorched black in places, and her poor carpet was a shadow of its former self. Only her window had been spared the element's wrath, save for a small fire dancing a jig just at the edge of the wood. Was it worth it?

Definitely.

"Oops, missed a spot." Naruto raised an arm to extinguish the tiny flame still smolderng on the corner of the windowsill. Elsa beat him too it, extinguishing the ember with a burst of icy spray. Naruto shot her a scathing glare, his blue eyes smoldering like hot coals in the back of his head. She could feel his fingertips burning into hers, not painfully, just enough to cause a slight tingling in her hand.

"I said I had it."

Elsa stuck out her tongue teasingly, unfazed by his powers or his temper. Then an idea occurred to her."Hey, wanna see something cool?"

He perked up a little at that. "What's might that be?"

_"This."_

Elsa raised her arms and formed a small sphere of ice between them, just as she had all those years before. Then she raised her palms and flung it upward and into the ceiling. It scattered in a layer of frost, snowflakes falling immediately thereafter, the temperature plummeting as the flurries fluttered about the room. Within moments, a fine coating of snow had gathered

Naruto jumped up instantly, his black mood nowhere to be seen. A grin cut across his face, a look of boyish happiness taking over him entirely. "You're kidding! You can do that?!"

Elsa arched an eyebrow."

The blond realized his exuberance a second later and grunted noncommittally, but he didn't let go of her hand.

"Well, its nice." he muttered, missing the slight narrowing of her eyes. "Nothing special-

He released her hand and ducked abruptly; a second later her flung snowball whistled over his head. Unfortunately, in this hurry to dodge that first course, he failed to evade the second. Elsa's second conjured snowball struck him square on the nose and with an "Aack!" he tumbled off the edge off the bed. He popped up not a heartbeat afterward, covered in melting snow, armed with a small army of snowballs in his arms, filed nigh to the brim in his long arms. His grin could've put her worst fears to shame.

_"Ohhh,_ you are so dead!"

Elsa squeaked, eyes wide as he came up swinging, hurling snowball after snowball at her. But she had some of her own, easily summoned with a flick of the wrist. To think-she'd been grateful when her father had given her those white gloves; now discarded, as she cast a snowball at him, pegging him dead center in the chest, knocking her fellow blond and his collection of wintery spheres back off the bed. Again. Naruto sputtered with surprise for effect as he fell, tumbling over the edged with a heavy "thud!" of motion. This time, he didnt get back up. Elsa felt her heart hitch in her chest.

"Naruto...?"

He was back up in an instant, grinning from ear to ear, armed with even more snowballs-if such a thing were possible.

"This means war!

Those words resulted in an all out-albeit shortlived-snowball fight, one that ended when one of Naruto's snowballs almost shattered the window. Once more they flopped back onto the bed, this time truly spent. Then he muttered an odd joke about her power causing her to elbow him in the side and then he was elbowing _her _and she

Elsa's bright eyes still glittered with the lightest hint mischief at the notion, a rare emotion, one he hadn't seen until now. Belatedly, it occurred to him that she was enjoying herself. But, there was only so much room in her well...room. He risked a glance out the window at this thought, momentarily amused to find snow outside. Really, he couldn't be blamed for what he said; or what happened next.

"You wanna go outside and build a snowman?"

Something in Elsa's face crumpled at the mention of that. All the joy seemed to fade away, replaced by a cold, empty feeling. Naruto failed to notice any of this, he was too intent on securing his prize. Playing with Naruto was one thing, but the mere mention of Anna was enough to sent her heart racing all over again. Not only did her sister not remember her "gift" but that gift had nearly killed her once. If she hurt her again, that would be even worse than death itself...

"Elsa?"

Now it was princcess's turn to blink, drawn from her reverie by the blonde's words.

"I think I'd like breakfast first." the lie tasted like ash on her tongue-soot and thick Erm, I mean..." she drew herself up suddenly every inch the princess her mother and father had raised her to be, using the full weight of her accent. "I request porridge, my good sir." All of an instant passed betweeen them, and for a moment, she thought he might rebuke her, not understand her little joke.

"_Aye, me hearty_," Naruto said as he put his feet together and gave a salute. It took all Elsa had not to giggle.

"Naruto, that's pirate. You're speaking pirate right now."

"Whatever you say, m'lady." he grinned, flinging himself off the bed with a deceptive grace, opening and closing the door behind him.

Elsa's smiled meekly and watched him go...

...painfully aware of the void his words had opened up in her heart.

* * *

"You finally got Elsa to play, didn't you?"

"Is it that obvious?" Naruto offered a sheepish chuckle as he swept into the kitchen, his damp clothes drying with a quiet burst of hot air. He immediately set to work procurring a bowl of porridge-not even realizing who who had spoken to him until he'd gotten the bowl down onto the counter. That voice! He froze, nearly dropping the bowl-and he might have-were it not for a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, crap!" he swore, performed an about-face and an equally swift bow, finding himself face to face with the queen herself, leaning on the counter opposite him. "I mean shit! Arrgh, damnit!"

"Language," she chided softly.

"Sorry, sorry." Naruto apologized. "I tend to start swearing when someone sneaks up on me." he managed a nervous grin as he recalled her earlier words. "But yeah, I think I cheered her up. A little."

"I could've sworn I heard someone laughing halfway down the hall." It was not a question, nor could it be construed as a suggestion.

"I'm a people person."

Louise smiled at that one, an expression of genuine warmth, not ust for her daughter, but for him as well. Unable to think of anything else to say, Naruto averted his gaze and began rummaging through the cabinets in his continued search of Elsa's beloved breakfast. He wasn't quite sure what, if anything to say to her majesty. On the one hand, he owed her and the king his life and livelihood; had they not rescued him and taken him into the palace he'd most certainly be dead by now. On the other, he sometimes felt he wasn't worthy of their kindness. Or their trusts, for that matter. So was it so wrong of him to think that they _shouldn't _lock Elsa in her room? Away from her sister? From the world?

They were the closest thing he had to a family.

"You know, you remind me of Richard, when he was your age." the queen's voice came from over his shoulder. "So kind and dutiful, yet always willing to speak his mind."

"Richard?"

"I believe you've seen him in the paintings." one could hear the smile in her words. "The one wearing a crown and holding a sceptre?"

Naruto nearly facepalmed at his own stupidity.

"Ah, yes. His royal kingliness." Despite himself and the embarassment he felt, the former shinobi couldn't _quuuiite_ keep the joke from leaving his lips. "The one responsible for my being here. And locking the gates. And keeping Elsa in her room like a damned hermit. All the time." He paused, realizing his verbal gaffe. "That...sounded a lot better in my head."

"I'm sure." Louise didn't chastise him, she simply sat there and listened. Mothers were good at that, he supposed. "We're just doing what we think is best for Elsa."

"It'd be better if the poor girl wasn't so afraid of her gifts. Even better if I knew what had caused that fear in the first place." Ouch. Could he have been any more blunt? Perhaps.

Queen Louise was, all things considered, a wonderful queen to her subjects, and an even better mother to her daughters. But what did that make her to him? She'd treated him like her own right off the batt, which was more than he could say for _his _parents, since he didn't remember his own mother or father. Speaking of parentage, where Elsa had gotten her pale hair from. Certainly not her mother, and definitely not her father...did it have something to do with her magic? And idle thought, best reserved for another time.

"Here we go," he muttered as he finally found the ingredients; within a few minutes he had a nice hot, steaming powl of porridge. Procurring a tray and spoon he set the former upon the latter alongside the bowl, did as graceful a bow as he possibly could, and turned to leave.

"Naruto?"

The blond paused, drawn back in by the queen's voice.

"Yes?"

"Take care of my daughter."

"Wait a second, did you just give me your bless-

Louise shooed him out of the kitchen before he could finish his sentence.

* * *

"Do you wanna build a snowman~?"

Uzumaki Naruto slowed in his stride, Elsa's breakfast-a bowl of porridge-sloshing precariously on the tray as he came to a dead halt in the hallway adacjent to her room. He'd heard a voice just now. Hadn't he? Was that...Anna? He dithered a moment longer, wondering whether he should investigate or not. Eventually his curiosity won out and he padded down the hall, risking a glance round the corner. Surely, his imagination must've been playing a trick on him of some sort. But no he realized, as he caught a flash of auburn tresses in the hallway, there she was.

_Anna._

For a _loong _moment, he considered asking her what she was up to, asking her sister if she wanted to build a snowman. Yes, it was winter, and yes, he could understand a child's desire to play in the snow and such, but surely she knew of her sister's ice powers, didn't she? If so, **why** was she asking her to make a snowman when the poor girl was clearly terrified of her own ability? He himself knew precious little of the history between Elsa and her little sister-her father had been vague on the details in that regard- but Naruto knew trauma when he saw it. Why? Because he was a people person.

And that pale strand of hair amidst those bright tresses, why did it look so familiar...?

Wait. Wait a minute! That was it!

It all made sense! That stray strang of pale hair, Elsa's withdrawal whenever her sister was mentioned-she must've hurt Anna when she was younger! Either that had caused memory loss or something of a sort_-hey, he doesn't know about the trolls, folks-_it would explain a great deal of Elsa's phobia regarding her powers. Of course nobody wanted to talk about it! But if Anna didn't know, if she didn't remember, and was still trying with all her might to convince her elder sibling to come out..._oh, kami, this can't end well._

_...or can it?_

Intrigued, he hung back and observed _the_ most curious of scenes unfolding before his very eyes. There indeed was Anna, standing before the door. Mere moments passed before she did the most peculiar thing; she actually began to sing. Sing! As though a melody could somehow draw her sister out from behind that thick wooden door between them, actually form a chink in the armor she'd erected. If he hadn't done so himself a few minutes before, he would've dismissed it as hopeless. Or naieve. Oddly enough, he couldn't bring himself to decide which to favor.

He listened as she sang:

_"Come on let's go and play _

_I never see you anymore_

_Come out the door, _

_It's like you've gone away _

_We used to be best buddies _

_And now we're not _

_I wish you would tell me why _

_Do you want to build a snowman? _

_It doesn't have to be a-_

"Go away, Anna." Elsa's voice, muffled by the door, emerged to cut through her song like a hot knife through butter. "I don't want to play right now." The sadness and sorrow that flitted across the little girl's visage was sharper than any weapon could ever dream could be. Frowning, Naruto set the tray down, and the porridge with it.

"Okay, bye-

"It doesn't have to be a snowman~," Anna _jumped_ as Naruto's voice drifted into her ear-picking up exactly where she'd left off, seemingly appearing from nowheres, those dulcet tones crooning softly to the girl behind the door, saying soft words of encouragement to her one and only sibling. "Oh won't you come out and play? There's nothing to be afraid of anyhow, why can't you see that now, just for today? Just have some courage, I know you're trying to, we're right out here for you, so let us iiiiin~. Dont'cha wanna build a snowman?" his grin grew slightly as he finished. "Don't grow up to be a snowman."

He paused, looking rather sheepish. Anna giggled.

"I thought it was nice."

The blond perked up a bit and they shared a laugh. That laughter was swiftly silenced when Elsa's soft voice emerged from behind the door:

_"Of course I wanna build a snowman, but its not as easy as you say. You see I need to stay locked up inside, I hate to hide, but I know its for the beeeeeeest. I know if I come out there you'll just be scared, so please, Anna, don't you dare-_

Naruto looked to Anna; apparently they shared the same thought.

"Hello Elsa, its me again, won't you let us in,

Anna looked to him for encouragement,

_"Of course you can build a snowman, its really rather easy now you see-_

Before he could finish, a loud bang on the other side of the door cut him off. There came a small click as the door unlocked.

Naruto paused, arched an eyebrow, his mouth frozen open in a small round O.

Then to Anna's infinite amazement, something incredible happened. The door _opened_ the locking clicking to reveal just the tiniest fraction of an inch. Then another. And another, the girl within summoned forth from her icy prison by the sound of Naruto's voice. At once, Anna realized what was wrong. Her sister's large eyes, normally so calm and cold were _wet_, soaked with frozen tears. She stood there for a long moment, looking as if she might bolt at any moment, might slam the door shut in their faces. She took one look at Naruto and all but _launched _herself at him, latching onto him as though she were afraid he might disappear.

Naruto thrust a boot backwards for balance, surprised at the sudden between the door and the arch before could close it again.

"I didn't know you could sing." her words were the most naked of whispers, spoken to Naruto.

"Elsa!"

Naruto chuckled softly.

"Shall we build a snowman, then?"

* * *

Another year into his resdiency at the palace and things had improved markedly; Elsa was still terrified of her powers harming someone, but at least she let her parents touch her now. She had even ventured out of the castle a handful of times under his watchful eye. Their relationship was still a fary cry from what it'd once been, but it was a marked improvement to the stark isolation Elsa had preferred. Yes, she still refused to reveal, or even use her powers in the prescence of her sister, but it was a start. He wasn't nearly so secretive with _his_ powers, however.

Unfortunately...some disagreed.

_"What do you mean she shouldn't control it?"_

A thirteen year old Elsa silently squirmed beneath her father's disbelieving stare; Naruto all that stood between her and her parent. The king was a kind and considerate man, all things considered, but even his patience had limits. Now he was practically incredulous, feeling that these last four years had all been for naught. Her gift had only grown that much stronger as time passed, and Naruto's along with it. There had been-would be-no control here.

Naruto, now fifteen years of age, remained firm in his words, trying to impress that point upom her father. It was just the three of them in her room and his voice cracked when he spoke but only just-it was clear in the way he set himself that he would not be swayed.

"Exactly what I said. She's in more control when she isn't afraid. And she _isn't_ afraid when she's free from this room. But if you can't see that..."

"Naruto-!"

-THEN YOU CAN GO SODD OFF!"

Elsa would never forget that day; the day Naruto told her father off and slammed the door in his face.

* * *

_(One year later)_

Naruto beams radiantly as he pulls her up to the courtyard. "Are you going to tell me what we're doing yet?" Elsa asks as she feels his pace slow, hears him cease his humming. She's fourteen now, still awkward in her growing body, but nearly so much as she'd once been; stumbling only slightly as she speaks. Today, is her Birthday, and he wants to surprise her; here, tonight, after all the gifts have been given, he's roused her from her slumber and ushered her outside. To which she asks once again:

"What are you up to?"

Naruto gives her a secretive little smirk. "You'll see soon enough."

The blond threw the door open and steps out, taking Elsa's hand and helping her down the step. It's small gestures like this that are totally unnecessary, but surprisingly easy to get used to. Naruto wraps Els'as hand in his own, and leads her quickly across the field of snow before coming to an abrupt halt, just before the huge, sprawling expanse of the yard. There is still snow here but only barely, winter still clinging teniously to these lands, despite the encroaching march of summer.

At first, Elsa doesn't understand.

But then as she watches him rub his hands together and _claps_, she realizes what he means to do. She feels the moisture shrivel up-the night suddeny aflame with power and tension. A thin sheen of sweat glistens upon his forehead as he dredges up his gift and gives it life, lets it flow free from him-and pour out from his fingertips. The air is suddenly alight with fire and flames; tongues of gold dancing in the night sky overhead, for all of Arendelle to see and wonder. Creatures borne of the inferno, immaterial beasts given life by Naruto's power.

Elsa watches them wheel overhead, marveling at their majesty-at each of them-in quiet wonder; deadly dragons, lordly lions, terrible tigers, and countless other creatures she does not recognize. She know it then, that this is his gift to her, this delightful display that only he can produce.

"Happy Birthday, Elsa." These words echo in her ears endlessly as he takes her hand, sending her cheeks burning pink.

Elsa realizes it then as she watches the fireworks-literally, works made of fire!-spiral over their heads. It terrifies her to know that her feelings for him have become so strong, that they've progressed already so far, to know that deep in her heart she truly, completey...

...loves him.

* * *

_(Severaly years later..._

"Do you have to go?"

The words were thick in Elsa's throat. She was despondent, knowing that they would be gone for two weeks time. She had a horrible feeling about this, a terrible pit in her stomach. But she held it in and bowed to both of them in courtesy. Anna had bit them goodbye mere moments before, even now, Elsa could still feel the painful rift between her and her younger sibling as Naruto spent more and more time with her, instead of Anna as he'd done in their youth. It had shrank somewhat, but their was still a gap; quite possibly it would always be there...

But a small part of her was glad for it; that tiny, jealous part of her wanted Naruto all to herself. She didn't want to _share Naruto, _least of all her with sibling.

"You'll be fine, Elsa." The king's gaze traveled to Naruto beside, their disagreement forgiven and forgotten with time. "After all, you have him." Elsa sputtered at the mention of Naruto; at sixteen years of age, she'd had such thoughts about her companion/bodyguard of course, but as he remained two years older than she, it had always seemed inopportune. Inappropriate. Naruto made a noncomitittal noise, but anyone with eyes could see he was flattered by their words. His voice, no longer cracking with immaturity, rippled between them

"I'll keep her safe, your majesty. Believe it."

...you did not just say that." Elsa almost-almost!- smiled at those words.

"Hey, I don't know what came over me, just now."

Still, Elsa was grateful for him now, his hand on her shoulder, an immutable pillar of reliance as she saw her parents off to the harbor. She bid them farewell, thinking she would tell Mother how she felt about Naruto, to seek her counsel as to these feelings for her bodyguard. Such advice could wait until she returned of course, and until then she would content herself to do just that. Wait.

But she never saw them again.

Two weeks passed. Then four. Eight. Ten.

Word finally reached Arendelle that the ship had been lost at sea. There were no survivors. That night everything just...fell apart. She ignored Anna's attempt at comfort after the funeral, ignored...everyone. Everything felt dead to her, her normally calm power raging out control, causing havoc with her emotions.

Elsa remembered precious little of what happened after the funerals; she recalled locking herself in her room and screaming, her powers running amok as she tore into the furniture; deadly icicles piercing the walls and windows, an eternal layer of frost creeping forth fromher body, threatening to consume her very soul itself. And then Naruto was jut there. She recalled him melting the ice that entrapped her-taking her quivering form into those strong arms, holding her tight, crooning softly to her.

"It's alright...It'll be alright...

That night Elsa resolved she had lost enough already. Her relationship with Anna felt distant and cold, and now her parents were dead. Gone. She would never see them again. Never turn to her mother for advice when needed, never feel her father's comforting hand on her shoulder. But she hadn't lost Naruto. No. Not yet. That night she swore an oath. She would never lose Naruto.

_Never._

* * *

_(Three years pass...)_

"So all these folks came just for your coronation, eh?"

Elsa froze, her pale cheeks flushing as a familiar voice whispered into her ear, accompanied by that all-too familiar rush of warmth when his hand brushed her cheek. God, when had he snuck up on her?! She turned to find him standing there, looking resplendent in his suit, a far cry from the boy she'd met on that cold lonely night, he'd grown into his own, a fine young man of seventeen years, grinning from ear to ear as he stood in full splendor befor her. And damn if he didn't look good in that suit...

Her arms were flung round his neck almost before she knew what was happening, pulling him into a tight embrace. She felt him stiffen against her, she was after all nineteen years of age now, fully of age and ready to be crowned Queen of Arendelle. And yet the cry that fled from her lips must've been the most girly-sounding thing in all of existence:

"Naruto!"

"Watch those wandering eyes, M'lady." his grin grew another inch as they pulled away. "Might give your bodyguard the wrong idea, ya know?

Elsa flushed.

He'd stood by her all these years, through the death of her parents, and more; it had been just as her father said; he'd been able to help her keep a lid on her power. He had been her bodyguard, companion, she even considered him to be more than that, more than a friend. But still, the question remained...

...would he ever feel as she felt for him?

Naruto's grin completely held her. Ensnared her. She would later realize he was still holing her hand when she finally said:

"Open up the gates!"

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it! I couldn't think of a better way to go about past events than to do them in this fashion; already we see that so much is beginning to be altered sheerly by Naruto being present in Arendelle. Already events are changing-Naruto even managed to sneak in a duet with little Anna there in the beginning, drawing Elsa out of her shell more and more over the years until we finally reach the events of the movie. But all is not well on the horizon...**

**...The events of Frozen ought to be quite different with him involved...maybe Elsa'll have someone of her own by the time this is done *wink*wink* who knows?**

**So...in the immortal words of Atlas...**

**...Would You Kindly Review the story of this ailing man? And of course, enjoy the previews of two scenes to comee! Shits about to hit the fan!**

**(Preview)**

_Elsa felt her heart hammer in her chest as she was greeted by the men, these fearsome fellows wearing scratched headbands. Her heart heaves in fear as she sees their cloaks and though she does not know it, the fear in her heart is real enough to make her blood freeze in its veins._

_"Greetings, Queen Elsa." one of them, a dark-haired man with darker spoke quietly, formally. "My name is Uchiha Itachi." He indicated the stranger beside him. "This is my partner, Kisame Hoshigaki. We've come from the Elemental Nations to visit an old friend of ours, Uzumaki Naruto. Might he be in attendance?"_

_His partner, Kisame, a fellow who could best be described as a cross between man and fish, grinned toothily._

_"Yes, I'm sure he's just **dying** to meet us..._

* * *

_Naruto laughed, and the sound was like gravel being crushed underfoot. "You like that necklacke? Because I don't remember-_

_But then he realized she'd taken **his** necklace by accident-its comforting weight gone from his chest, now clutched tightly in one of her hands. That alone could be forgiven. But when Naruto saw she was about to slip it around her neck, everything changed. A sudden and inexplicable surge of dread filled him. He didn't understand it, he only knew that she couldn't wear that necklace._

_Panic leapt in Naruto's heart at the sudden abscence of his mysterious possession, blotting out all else. His temper, buried so very deep was suddenly exhumed, roaring out of him in a rush of anger and power._

_"Give it back!" Power flared in his fingertips, streaking an angry fireball past her head and into the wall, scorching the stone black, searing an furious line across her cheek. In the same instant she reocgnized the bloody cut she'd carved into his throat._

_In her chest, her throat, on the tips of her fingers, Elsa could feel the throb of the power that scared them so. The power that had harmed the one for whom she cared most. In front over everyone..._

_They'd hurt each other, revealed their gits._

_...here, at the ball._

**R&R! =D**


	3. Meltdown

**A/N: Alright ladies and gentlmen, good news and bad news. Good news first. I'm fresh out of ANOTHER surgery-hurts like hell!-and I managed to put this up here at points between the forced anesthetic. Bad news is I still have more surgeries ahead. Still, I'm feeling a bit better now. Really. ****I'm hanging tough though, having just come out of my first surgery...with two more to go! UUUUUGH! I'm on painkillers almost daily and I feel like crap, as to that effect. But I'm hanging tough, despite having a small heart attack the other day. God, that was NOT fun!**

**Anywho...here it is. ****Thank you all for you support, and here's hoping I make it through the rest of my surgeries! *Raises glass in a toast* Long live Fanfiction! Hopefully I'll at least live long enuff to make it ta my birthday on the fourteenth! And just in case my health goes south...I hope you enjoy my works for all time! **

**Also, lets address a major typo here in the previous chapter, _Elsa_ is nineteen and _Naruto_ is Twenty-One. Sorry about that discrepancy!**

_"I'm still here..._

_~?_

**Meltdown**

"Well, this'll be fun."

"Hmm?" Elsa blinked as she heard the words; dripping with annoyance and disdain, still far too busy trying to slow her hammering heart...with limited success. It had nothing to do with his close proximity to her, or so she told herself. Nothing to to do with the way his head rested on her shoulder, the casual way in which he scooted his body closer to hers, despite the chill she always gave him. He'd mentioned it to have annoyed him once, but he'd never said anything more about it. He endured, for her sake.

"There's so many people down there." he continued, blue eyes roaming over the courtyard, taking in the now open gates. "And almost none of them are here to see you."

Something in the way he said that made her start slightly; there was venom in his voice, genuine anger.

"What makes you say that?"

"I may not have many memories, but I know their type. See that one over there?" He pointed toward a weasely looking man flanked by two guards. "He wants to exploit Arendelle for its riches. And that lady? She's not the type to do anything but sell those dresses of hers; don't be surprised if she asks for an endorsement. There's probably only a hundred folks here to see you...just out of plain curiosity. Maybe more. I could be wrong ya know, but I wouldn't trust some of these folks."

"What about those two in the cloaks?" Elsa found herself asking.

"Eh?"

Naruto turned to follow her gaze and found two cloaked, strangely dressed men amidst the crowd. Odd. What was up with those red clouds and straw hats? He could see them there deliberately lingering at the edge of the crowd, almost as if they were trying to avoid attention. Small chance of that now. He hadn't been idle over the last eight years, his powers were now honed to a razor's edge-unpredictable only on the rare occasion his emotions got out of control. Fire was easier to control then ice; fire was life itself

Now if only Elsa could learn to forgive herself and forget her fear, then perhaps everything would...be...alright...

That thought slipped away from Naruto as one of the men lifted the brim of his hat, exposing a pale face and dark, onyx eyes. Impossibly their gazes met across the way. Naruto froze, his body falling to a standstill. He _froze_ as an alien, yet eerily familiar voice whispered through the black of his mind.

_Found you._

For a moment, those cold black eyes seemed to flash red, peer right through him. Then a blur knocked him aside, jarring him into another passerby and the moment was lost. Naruto recognized a shock of auburn locks amidst that blur and then she was past, racing away across the drawbridge.

"Anna?!" Well, it was only natural that her sister would want to go out and explore once the gates were opened. Elsa pursed her lips thinly at the mention of her younger sister.

"What's she doing down there?"

"Exploring, no doubht." Naruto sounded whismical, almost amused. "Can you blame her for bolting the minute those doors opened? Poor thing's been awfully lonely. I mean, you've practically banned my talking to her after what happened last time...

"Hey!"

Elsa shot him a frigid glare; he was standing on thin ice and he knew it! Yet still he perservered, trying to mend what had been broken.

"Relax, babe." Naruto soothed, she shivered as his warm lips graced her cheek, sending pleasant tendrils of fire shooting through her face. Elsa shivered.

He was only like this when he was with her; he never, ever held himself around anyone else. Not even Anna, with whom he spent so much time, was privy to this softer side of him. Ha! A small, spiteful part of her heart wanted Naruto all to herself, nothing less would do. She wasn't fond of the gulf between her sister and herself either; it had shrunk somewhat over the past few years but Naruto had widened it in many ways as well. Bless his heart for trying, though.

When it became apparent that the blonde was the key to drawing Elsa out of her shell, Anna had become even more insistent in her attempts to get her older sibling out of the room. With disastrous results. When faced with the prospect of potentially hurting her sister again or worse, losing possibly the only person who truly understood her, Elsa had panicked. Completely and utterly. Shouting that Naruto was _hers_, that she wanted be left _alone _she'd slamming the door in her sibling's face and on their fledgling friendship. She hadn't come out again, not without Naruto.

Quiet murmurs had begun anew after the staff realized just how close they'd become over the years. Many debating whether the boy's talent or Elsa's own training had carried the day. Whatever the case, things were a bit...broken between her and her sibling now.

Elsa wanted to try and repair them. She really did.

But it was so difficult! She could feel the _Powers _shooting up and down her fingers, straining at the thin leash that was her control. It wanted out. Wanted to be free. Despite her turbulent emotions, she listened intently to Naruto's words, taking pride in the way he embraced his powers, made it a part of himself. If only she could do that_...oh no!_ She silently swore as frost etched itself into the railing at her hands, unbidden her father's old incantation leapt to her mind.

_Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know-_

"Oi, you cut that out." Naruto grabbed her hand sharply, them unexpected warmth of his palm shooting up her elbow and into her arm. "What have I told you about that dumb saying?" Her power yelped in surprise and recoiled as his grip tightened, and for a precious instant she was normal again_. "Let it go. Let it flow. Don't be afraid to know."_ The small rhyme stood in polar opposite to her father's words, a complete contrast to what her parents would've wanted...but Naruto knew best, didn't he? After all, he seemed to have gained a modicum of control over his own flames during the last few years...so why couldn't she reign in her own icey power as well?

When Naruto pulled away to release her hand, Elsa wanted to weep. His next words took those fears and dashed them against the rocks below.

"Shall we then, your majesty?"

He was teasing her, Elsa knew, but she found herself powerless to resist as he took her hand once more.

"We shall."

* * *

"I now present to you, the Queen of Arendelle!"

Elsa felt her cheeks warm ever so slightly at the admiration in Naruto's gaze; he'd been vehement that he be at her side when she was presented with the ball and sceptre. The steward had reluctantly aqcuiesced to the strange request, and now she was grateful for it. His close proximity was just enough to keep her power in check, prevent the ice from creeping up the staff before anyone could notice. Feeling suddenly drained, she did her best to smile and look regal as was the norm, only reluctantly relinquishing her old on the items that had once belonged to her father, returning them to their proper place on the pillow.

Behind her, his words unheard by all save her, Naruto sighed.

"Elsa...

* * *

"Oh, I've got an _idea~!"_

Elsa inadvertantly bristled at that familiar tone, her gaze sweeping away from the sea of people on the dance floor and back toward Naruto, as she heard those words. Uh-oh. He was smiling. Her shoulder brushed him in passing, her thigh nigh but grazing his as he moved to block her relfexive attempt to flee. There was something about the gesture, the closeness of their bodies, fire and ice, that sent a warm tingle shooting through her chest and spiraling upwards into her cheeks. He couldn't! He wouldn't! Ah, but he would!

"No." she jerked back when Naruto tried to guide her down toward the twirling masses. "Naruto...I can't do it."

"Yes, you can!"

Elsa met the sapphire blue eyes in battle. "I _said_ no!

Naruto cocked his head and smiled playfully. "But I want so badly to hear yes!"

"NO!" Elsa said sternly, raising both her eyebrows to convey her seriousness.

"It'll be fuuuuun," Naruto sing songed, moving closer.

"No, it will be awful!" the fingertips of her gloves began to frost, reacting to her stress. "Go without me! Dance with Anna, o-or something!"

"Not a chance!" Naruto grabbed her then, a long arm ensnaring the slender curve of her waist and drawing her close. Despite her objection, Elsa found herself powerless to resist any longer, the last brick of her resolve nigh but crumbling as she meekly took his hand in hers. In that instant it was as if his warmth had driven all the ice away, any lingering fears and doubts simply ceased to be. There was only the warmth of his fire, too soothing to be anything else, prickling under her skin. It comforted her, reassured her, whispered quiet promises that everything will be alright.

"Alright...

Demurely, she allowed herself to be led onto the dance floor, painfully aware of everyone's stares. Naruto didn't care. He simply drew her into the waltz with the effortless grace of a master, twirling her round as though he'd always known how to do it. Elsa secretly suspsected he'd been boning up on social etiquette in preparation for this very moment. Had he planned this whole thing out she wondered? Or was it merely another act of spontanieuty at work. In the end Elsa decided it didn't matter; she was happy and she was content, just to be here with him.

Her heart leapt into her throat when he pulled her closer then closer still-their faces nearly touching as they moved seamlessly into the next dance. Their bodies moved together effortlessly, she following his lead and he moving just slowly enough for her to match his movements. Unbidden her eyes flicked up to his and froze-held their by the inteinsity of those burning blue orbs. Would it be so wrong to tell him how it felt? That she had developed these feelings for him? That she l-l-loved...

"Naruto?"

He said nothing, he simply stared back at her as they danced; Elsa cursed her shortness not for the first time. Why did he have to be so tall?! It was downright intimidating!

"I...I wanted to tell you...

"Hey, El?"

"Y-Yes?" she blushed at his childish nickname for her; that grin made her heart skip a beat.

_"Stop talking."_

Elsa wasn't sure who kissed whom, only that their lips were suddenly locked together, her mouth pressing gently against her heart had leapt before, now it was doing backflips! Still his lips held her, refusing to be budged in the slightest. Not that she wanted him to move. She'd much rather they stay just like this. Here. Forever. But all good things must end, and so too did this, the musics trailing away as everyone suddenly took notice of this strange young man kissing their queen. If she'd been expecting scorn, she received the exact opposite.

Their applause was nothing short of monumental after that dance; crowd cheered and hooted as they pulled away, faces flushed. Perfect. In this instant she could forget about her troubles with Anna, her own imperfect powers, her fear and shyness. Here and now everything was just...perfect.

"I should...ah, probably go check on the guests." Naruto muttered, his nose still brushing hers.

Elsa shared his flush, her own cheeks dusted a pretty pink. "Yes, that would be best...

Naruto made haste for the dining hall, although not without risking one last glance over his shoulder. Elsa waved shyly back at him, feeling as though she were walking on air. She might as well be; her spirits had never been higher, not since she was a little girl. Naruto had kissed her. Kissed! Her! Her heart soared into the heavens and did a figure-eight, spinnind endlessly in circles as she tried-failed-to reign her blooming feelings into herself, lest her powers manifest.

"Pardon me, miss." a soft voice inquired of her, shattering the moment forever. "If I might have a moment of your time?"

Elsa blinked, torn from her fantasy by that flat, almost dead voice.

"Why of course-

Elsa felt her heart hammer in her chest as she turned, as was greeted by the men, these fearsome fellows wearing scratched headbands. Her heart heaves in fear as she sees their cloaks and though she does not know it, the fear in her heart is real enough to make her blood freeze in its veins.

"Greetings, Queen Elsa." one of them, a dark-haired man with darker spoke quietly, formally. "My name is Uchiha Itachi." He indicated the stranger beside him. "This is my partner, Kisame Hoshigaki. We've come from the Elemental Nations to visit an old friend of ours, Uzumaki Naruto. Might he be in attendance?"

His partner, Kisame, a fellow who could best be described as a cross between man and fish, grinned toothily.

"Yes, I'm sure he's just **dying** to meet us...

"Who's dying to meet who?"

Elsa wanted to scream when Naruto reappeared, no doubt drawn by the distress he'd sensed. Didn't he realize he was in danger?! Every fiber of her being told her that these men were not here to celebrate, that they'd come with much-less jovial ideas in mind. There was a silence, as Naruto stared the strange-skinned man down, his blue eyes boring relentlessly into those dead fish eyes. Neither spoke. Neither moved. Whomever did the deed would surrender their advantage, and neither man was willing to grant the other that privilege.

"That's enough for now."

Itachi's eyes flickered red in warning, boring into his partner's gaze. Naruto merely frowned. He recognized these two...but from where?

"But-

"Another time, perhaps."

Elsa found herself summarily distracted as Anna burst onto the scene with Hanz, a boy she'd just met and now intended to marry...

* * *

"Well, that was...interesting?" Naruto remarked as the younger girl stalked away, with Hanz in tow. Things had come to a head between the two sisters; Elsa vehemently denouncing the idea of Anna marrying someone she'd only just met and refusing to give her blessing, Anna calling her sister a hypocrite, Elsa nearly losing control of her powers in the emotional exchange that followed.

"I...yes." the queen groaned. "What's gotten into her? You can't marry someone you just met! And why did she call me a hypocrite?"

Naruto pointedly said nothing,

"Got you something."

Elsa blinked, struggling to still his hammering heart. A gift? For her? She opened the box gently, quietly balking as she beheld the glittering stone within.

Naruto laughed, and the sound was like gravel being crushed underfoot. "You like that necklacke? Because I don't remember-

But then he realized she'd taken **his** necklace by accident-its comforting weight gone from his chest, now clutched tightly in one of her hands. That alone could be forgiven. But when Naruto saw she was about to slip it around her neck, everything changed. A sudden and inexplicable surge of dread filled him. He didn't understand it, he only knew, that she couldn't wear that necklace. It was cursed. Dangerous. He had no way of even knowing that Itachi had influenced him; placed him under a minor genjutsu.

Even now he was seeing something else, instead of the ruby necklace he'd crafted for her, he saw only his necklace in er hands.

Panic leapt in Naruto's heart at the sudden abscence of his mysterious possession, blotting out all else. His temper, buried so very deep was suddenly exhumed, roaring out of him in a rush of anger and power.

"Give it back!" Power flared in his fingertips, streaking an angry fireball past her head and into the wall, scorching the stone black, searing an furious line across her cheek. In the same instant she reocgnized the bloody cut she'd carved into his cheek.

In her chest, her throat, on the tips of her fingers, Elsa could feel the throb of the power that scared them so. The power that had harmed the one for whom she cared most. In front of everyone...

They'd hurt each other, revealed their gits.

...here, at the ball.

Naruto balked.

"Elsa...

When faced with the consequences of her actions, of harming the one she loved more than anything else in the world, Elsa did the only thing she could think to do.

_She ran._

**A/N: And there you have it! Events are spiraling rapidly towards the center. Naruto and Elsa face their first true hurdle in their blossoming relationship. Akatsuki wants Naruto alive, unknowing of whether he still has the Biju inside him or not; and all of Arendelle is about to experience a major hot/cold swing from the chaos that is about to come! What will happen next?! Its anyone's guess fro here on out!**

**...The events of Frozen ought to be quite different with them involved...will Naruto and Elsa make it out of this alive?**

**So...in the immortal words of Atlas...**

**...Would You Kindly Review the story of this ailing man? And of course, enjoy the Preview!**

**(Preview)**

_"Mizurapa!"_

_"Gokakyu!"_

_The opposing elements collided in a wave of steam, fire and water vying angrily against one another until the former inevitably yielded._

_Naruto scrambled backwards like a drunken spider, his body still steaming from where the wave had crashed down upon him. He'd managed to burn most of it away but the fact remained; fire was virtually no match in the face of overwhelming water. He'd tried every trick he'd learned over the last eight years but to no avail; he simply couldn't find a way to beat this guy!_

_"What the hell is wrong with you?!"_

_"Careful Kisame," Itachi called from his vantage point. "We don't want to kill him."_

_"Nothing wrong with taking an arm or a leg, right?" His partner turned to regard him and in that instant Naruto struck._

_"Ryusenka!"_

_Naruto opened his mouth and spat; a massive blast of dragon-shaped flames slamming into the unprepared fishman with all the force of a cannonball. Caught unawares, Kisame was thrown violently backwards into the snow, his damp body a shell of its former self. At least, that was what the blonde thought...untill he started to heal. Broken ribs and charred flesh stitched themselves back together effortlessly, blue flesh replacing their blackened counterparts_

_"Ahhh," he drawled, getting back up. "Samehada really **doesn't** like those flames of yours. What happened to your chakra, kid?"_

_Naruto drew back with a hiss. _

_"I have no idea what you're talking about!"_

_"Ahahaha!" Kisame cackled, advancing ruthlessly. "A little fight in ya! I like that!"_

_"Then you'll love me!"_

_The shark-man bristled as the water around him froze, the sheer cold entrapping his element within layers of frigid ice. What in the world?!_

_"You stay away from him!"_


End file.
